President Droupadi Murmu Saturday conferred Bharat Ratna on four eminent personalities, including two former Prime Ministers, Chaudhary Charan Singh and PV Narasimha Rao.
Agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan and 2-time former Bihar CM Karpoori Thakur were also conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously at ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Biographical web series will have 8 episodes of 45-60 minutes each. Director Prakash Jha, who is helming the project, said former PM Rao 'was victim of politics within his party'.
The contributions of former PM Narasimha Rao and scientist MS Swaminathan show how innovation and determination can eliminate challenges. They were not sectarian and did not dedicate themselves to just their states alone.
While Rao shared an icy equation with Sonia Gandhi that pushed him into political oblivion, Charan Singh quit Congress in 1967, dissolved party’s state govts & got Indira arrested.
BJP leaders say party has empowered icons not recognised by Congress during their time. Rao had a falling out with Gandhi family, Congress had withdrawn support to Charan Singh govt.
Rao, says Modi, was instrumental in making India economically advanced, while Singh dedicated his life to welfare of farmers. Swaminathan, he adds, made modernised Indian agriculture.
The Modi government's decision to award the Bharat Ratna to Karpoori Thakur and LK Advani just before the notification of the Lok Sabha elections is a strong political statement.
Announcement being seen as BJP's way to reach out to Advani sympathisers as well as section of Sangh-VHP cadre. It also cashes in on sentiment of Ram temple movement in run up to polls.
Armani built a multibillion-dollar global brand from something as simple as an unstructured jacket, and broke down the walls between formal and casual.
From Munir’s point of view, a few bumps here and there is par for the course. He isn’t going to drive his dumper truck to its doom. He wants to use it as a weapon.
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